Weight Watching

Affronted readers (hopefully not those same activists who are currently making the news with their vow to abolish the hallowed Bureau of Weights and Measures) have taken issue with my use of ounces rather than cups when measuring dry ingredients (Mad About Madeleines: Deuxieme Partie). 'Why would you forsake the volumetric measurement method, legacy of our brave pioneer foremothers?' I hear them [the readers] cry. Clearly, some explanation for my eccentric behaviour is required.

To begin with, I must reveal that my formative cooking years were spent in a country where cups as a unit of dry measurement were (and still are) unknown. My first cookbooks, many of which are still in heavy use, relied exclusively on pounds and ounces (they weren't metric, thank goodness, or my head might have exploded) and kitchen scales have thus been a fixture on my kitchen counter since time immemorial. I remember hearing somewhere (Good Eats, maybe?) that cooks in very few countries other than the United States use volumetric measures as a matter of habit. I seem to recall that one of them is Iraq - make of that what you will.

The second reason is pure pragmatism. I had determined during my extensive madeleine R & D that the amount of g/f flour was crucial to the quality of the finished cakes, yet found this same flour had the annoying habit of clumping and concealing air pockets in its measuring vessel. Plus, every time it was sifted, it cunningly changed volume, as follows:

 Gluten-free flour volumes (initial amount straight from the bag: one cup or 48 tsp)

• Sifted once: 66 tsp (38% increase in volume from original cup)
• Sifted twice: 71 tsp (8% increase from first sift)
• Sifted thrice: 72 tsp (1% increase from second sift)

The final volume of 72 tsp represents an incredible 50%  increase from the original cup! You can't make this sort of thing up: I was actually pretty stunned by this margin for measuring error.

Needless to say, the weight of the flour during these shenanigans remained a reassuringly constant 5.25 ounces. I concluded that measuring by weight was the only sensible recourse, allowing the baker to sift with impunity, carefree in the knowledge that the final recipe would only be improved by her diligence. I stick by my decision, and will be watching my weight during the upcoming pate a choux studies, due to commence this weekend.

my konstant kitchen kompanion

Next up: an agonizing choice - profiteroles or gougeres?